Great Estates: Putting Communities at the Heart of Regeneration
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Great Estates: Putting communities at the heart of regeneration Edward Douglas - November 2016 RESPUBLICA RECOMMENDS Contents Introduction 2 Context 2 Defining Estates Case Studies 10 About the Author Mountearl Estate, Lambeth, London – Type 1 11 Edward Douglas is a senior policy and projects officer at ResPublica. Seven estates, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire – Type 2 14 Ladywood, Birmingham – Type 3 18 Acknowledgments Park Hill, Sheffield – Type 3 22 ResPublica would like to thank the Mears Group who kindly supported this project. Special thanks are extended to Adam Wildman, Principal Research Consultant at ResPublica, for his editorial work on this project, and to Mark Latham from Urban Splash, Victor Chamberlain from Recommendations 25 Pocket Living, Denise Barrett from Birmingham City Council and David Gleeson and Kathryn Eames from YourMK for their help with the case studies. We would also like to thank Graham Allen MP; Mark Winterburn, Policy Advisor at the Royal Institute of British Architects; and Brian Endnotes 28 Robson, Policy and Research Programme Manager at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. About ResPublica The ResPublica Trust (ResPublica) is an independent non-partisan think tank. Through our research, policy innovation and programmes, we seek to establish a new economic, social and cultural settlement. In order to heal the long-term rifts in our country, we aim to combat the concentration of wealth and power by distributing ownership and agency to all, and by reinstilling culture and virtue across our economy and society. 1 Introduction In this paper, we look at what the Government’s aims of tackling deprivation and spreading million for the 100 estates selected – current plans for estate regeneration can opportunity on the one hand; and boosting equivalent to £1.4 million each. It is our contention that communities should deliver for communities around the country – housing supply on the other. These aims be put at the heart of estate regeneration and what they cannot. To do this, we outline can be complementary but they are not To put that into context, the first phase of to maximise its potential for delivering new and develop a new typology of council necessarily so – in fact in some cases they regeneration of Sheffield’s Park Hill estate housing and boosting life chances around estates to understand what the priorities for can have an antagonistic relationship. This is required £39 million of public funding; the country. That means giving communities regeneration should be in different parts of particularly the case when communities are redevelopment of the Packington Estate in power over regeneration schemes where they the country, and assess whether the current not given a genuine stake in redevelopment. Islington required £33 million of gap funding; are planned, and unlocking new opportunities policy and funding framework is sufficient to and it has been estimated that the average for funding schemes where they are needed meet them. We survey case studies to identify We will argue that we need a ‘One Nation’ cost of demolition alone of a single estate but currently not possible. examples of best practice, and use these to set approach to regeneration that advantages stands at £50 million.6 Viability relies heavily out how the forthcoming Estate Regeneration residents of estates and delivers homes where on the potential for densification, the needs On 13 July this year, Theresa May used the Strategy can reach its potential. We also look at they are required. The need to reconnect of existing residents, and land values. These opportunity of her first speech as Prime what more the Government needs to do if it is all parts of the country with economic vary across the country – what works in inner Minister to set out her ambitions to make serious about spreading prosperity to all parts opportunity and social wellbeing is difficult to London will not necessarily work in Dudley; Britain a country that works for everyone. For of the country. understate because it gets to the heart of the and what works in Southampton will not the new Prime Minister, this means looking at Prime Minister’s welcome ambition to make necessarily translate to Blackpool. Estate what government can usefully do to spread Context Britain a country that works for everyone. regeneration must work for everyone. But a opportunity to all parts of the country – reliance on the private sector is not sufficient particularly to those places that have been left The Government’s stated priorities of Under the current framework, this poses a set – it risks damaging existing communities to behind as our economy has shifted in the last estate regeneration are twofold: tackling of challenges. supply new homes in the South East, and few decades. deprivation and increasing housing supply. leaving behind other communities in weaker The Government announced a £140 million The Government has stated a preference for housing markets everywhere else. A good starting point for this agenda would regeneration fund as part of now-postponed schemes to be community led.3 This is the be estate regeneration. Millions of people Life Chances Strategy.1 But housing supply right one. Our research last year highlighted We cannot hope to meet all of these around the country live on estates, many was cited as a key aim of regeneration, after that satisfaction with a place is closely challenges in this paper. Our aim is to show of which are amongst our most deprived a report from Savills, commissioned by the linked to a range of health and well-being the nature of the challenge facing us in communities across a range of indicators Cabinet Office, claimed that London’s estates outcomes – and satisfaction with a place is different places around the country. We have – from health and education to incomes, could provide sites for 360,000 new homes closely linked in turn with how much of a done this by identifying the types of estates employment and crime. in the capital.2 On launching the Estate stake a person has in it.4 Moreover, it is most we should be concerned with, based on Regeneration Panel, Lord Heseltine suggested often the existing community who know analysis of over 100 communities in all parts of Regeneration has the potential to enable this was about social justice as much as what works and what does not work in their the country. people to flourish and to make estates great housing supply: area. If we want to transform estates for the places to live. But under the current policy better, we need to give people the power We then look at a set of case studies of current framework, communities are not guaranteed a “Estates regeneration is key to transforming to lead on their regeneration – as has been regeneration schemes to understand what genuine stake in the process. Many others will the lives of people living on poorly designed widely recognised.5 best practice looks like across these estate not see the benefits successful regeneration housing projects.” types, and what can be done to facilitate can bring because only £140 million has been Doing community engagement properly this best practice. We set out three policy made available for 100 schemes as part of In short, estate regeneration is pursued is neither easy nor cheap. The Government recommendations for the forthcoming the Estate Regeneration Strategy – and not as a ‘win win’: meeting demand for new has stated a preference for “commercially Estate Regeneration Strategy and for the enough is being done to unlock other forms homes and supporting existing residents. viable schemes which have the potential Government as it takes this agenda beyond of investment. In this paper, we will try to disentangle the to be self-financing”, with a fund of £140 the current work of Lord Heseltine’s Panel. 2 3 Defining Estates – Beyond Bricks Recently, there has been a lot of important Government of £140 million to 2030 – the 2. Housing demand: To judge whether an and Mortar work carried out on the first point, largely same amount currently available in total for estate is located in an area in which housing focused on meeting London’s housing initiatives on 100 estates.15 demand makes densification a priority, we There is no ’one size fits all’ model for shortage. Savills’ report Completing London’s have compared housing affordability data regeneration because there is no single type of Streets report published earlier this year found Methodology at the local authority level with the national estate. We know that just under 9 million people that up to 360,000 new homes could be built average. Affordability in this context means live in public housing in England and Wales.7 An through densification of London’s estates.10 A To do this, we have analysed a cross-section the ratio of house prices to incomes. estimated 3,500 estates are in London alone, but more recent study found that this figure was of mainly large estates in England – 122 in there are social housing estates in and around likely to be nearer to 4,000 to 8,000 homes total. We have based our analysis on two Comparing deprivation on estates with towns and cities across the country.8 in the capital each year given the length of characteristics: affordability data allows us to divide estates regeneration projects and the already high into four categories: Estates, for the purpose of regeneration, must densities on many estates.11 What we lack is 1. Deprivation: To assess whether an estate be existing social housing. Most were built in an understanding of how best to advantage is relatively deprived (that is, deprivation the housebuilding drives of the interwar and existing residents and address deprivation levels are higher on the estate than the local postwar years.